Crossing the Floor
by Hem Ntjr Seth
Summary: It takes two to tango, but only one to lead. Prideshipping KaibaxYami


**Status:** Complete (Oneshot)

**Warnings:** Besides a few instances of vulgar language, there really isn't anything obscene here.

**General note:** I originally published this on **Toxic Hathor**'s lovely Prideshipping forum (despite being the Head/Design Administrator on the board, I cannot claim ownership to it), Fragile Balance. It was requested on there that I publish it here as well, so there you have it.

**Title note:** I'd just like to point out that "crossing the floor" is a metaphor. I thought long and hard about a title for this fic and finally came up with that.

**Acknowledgements:** This fanfiction is dedicated to **Toxic Hathor**, who both encouraged me to finish this oneshot and to put it on Fragile Balance; to **starlight2005**, who is so sweet that she gives me cavities whenever I talk to her and has encouraged me on multiple occasions to keep writing and publishing my fics; to **supertyrant**, who I adore because of her sadistic ideas and general awesomeness; to **Kamiyashi**, for keeping me company in the _JackxYuusei_ section of Fragile Balance and for her kindness; to **barrie18**, for her constructive criticism and for encouraging me to post this fic; and to everyone else on Fragile Balance for their dedication to Prideshipping and to the forum. Without you guys this fic AND the forum wouldn't exist.

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot and the story. I do not own the characters or series.

* * *

**_Crossing the Floor_**

Anzu opened the front doors to the Domino Dance Academy, her friends rushing in after her; upbeat Latin music was blaring, the pulse of the music in time with many heartbeats. She had been neglecting her dance lessons for several weeks, and being Anzu, she had to make sure that she made it to the top to make her family and friends proud. Dance was her identity, passion, inspiration and ultimate dream. She vowed to never again let herself become so distracted, like she had been for the past month, that she neglected her dancing. She walked up to the front desk and signed in, and then turn glanced into the main dance hall to see who was currently using it. What she saw, or rather who she saw, had her to jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh my god. No way! No way!"

Jounouchi threw back his arms and stretched, turning his head slightly to the side to look in the direction that Anzu was looking. "Is that Kaiba?!" He abruptly dropped his arms to his sides. "What the hell is he doing here?!"

"Holy crap! That is Kaiba!" exclaimed Honda.

Yuugi cocked his head to the side, his eyes widening slightly. "Kaiba? He's into dancing?"

Anzu's eyes went wide. "No fucking way! He didn't just--! He's more than into it, Yuugi! He's really, really good!"

"Daaaamn. I really hate to say it, but look at him move," said Jounouchi, watching as someone new came into view, making large twirls toward the CEO. "Is she his partner?"

Yuugi seemed genuinely surprised with the notion that Kaiba was actually working with someone other than Mokuba. The second person, presumably a woman, seized the brunette's hand and spun into his chest, leaning her head against it for a mere second before spinning out again. "Kaiba has a partner? Whoa, she's fast!"

The female dancer, dressed in all black with her hair tied back under a scarf that completely concealed it, was more than fast. She was energized, lean, flexible and absolutely focused on her partner. She was sensuous, precise, aggressive and light on her feet. The CEO pulled her close to him, proceeding to lean in and dip her toward the floor, arching her backwards at a 65 degree angle; the woman wrapping her free arm around his neck, bringing their faces close so that their noses were nearly touching. Their eyes locked on one each other's; their shared looks passionate, lustful and longing. Then the CEO grasped the scarf covering his partner's head and tossed it aside, slender fingers running through smooth, colorful locks.

It was then that the gang quickly found out that something even more shocking than the fact that Kaiba danced existed: his fast, passionate, sensuous partner wasn't a woman at all but a man. Yuugi gasped, later swearing that his heart had skipped a beat. "Yami?!"

Yami's head turned sharply in the direction where a familiar voice had called his name. It was Yuugi, and he was with his friends. 'Oh great,' he thought, frantically trying to find a way out of what would without a doubt become a mess. Against his chest, he could feel Kaiba's heartbeat speeding up and could hear the taller man's breathing growing shallower. It was clear: Kaiba was horrified to have been caught with him. This wasn't good.

He quickly untangled himself from the CEO and stepped away from him. "H-hello, Yuugi. We were just practicing and-"

Yuugi shook his head at the other, interrupting him. "That was amazing, Yami."

"No! It was fucking brilliant!" exclaimed Anzu, still overcoming her shock. "You are brilliant!"

Yami hadn't expected this kind of reaction. "Uh… Thank you, Yuugi, Anzu-chan." He was relieved.

However, the CEO of Kaiba Corp wasn't. He glared at Jounouchi and Honda who were giving him the strangest looks. "What the hell are you gawking at, dweebs?"

Jounouchi laughed disdainfully. "Kaiba, it's not my business what you do in your private time, but in public? That's wrong."

Yami voice was strained. "Jounouchi-kun, you're jumping to conclusions. It isn't what it looks like."

Yuugi sighed. He knew how Jounouchi felt about homosexuality. The blonde had never been fond of it. It was easy to see why he would assume that there was something going on between the CEO and his shorter rival. It was evident in their eyes.

"Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun, come on, let's go back to my house. I taped _Battle Royale_. You know, that movie where all those kids are sent to that island and forced to kill each other. It's really violent. You guys will like it. Come on, let's go," urged Yuugi.

Jounouchi completely ignored Yuugi's plea. A look of disbelief masked the blonde man's face. "No… Your hands were all over him. It's not natural."

Yami's voice was soft and earnest. "We're just dance partners, Jounouchi-kun. Nothing more."

Jounouchi shook his head in disgust. "I usually don't judge, but I simply can't accept this."

Kaiba was tired of standing there next to Yami as the shorter man's friends judged them. He wasn't going to explain himself to these people. This was between him and Yami. No one else.

The CEO walked over to the wall, took off his dance shoes, slipped his feet into his normal business shoes, and then picked up his briefcase, dance shoes and car keys. Without saying another word, he strode past the group and left the room, not bothering to sign out on the attendance sheet. The studio's front doors slammed closed behind him.

Yami bit his lip. There was no point in arguing with Jounouchi about his views. He had to go after the CEO and make things right. He forced a smile. "I wish you the best of luck with your dancing, Anzu-chan. I'll be home late, Yuugi. It was nice seeing you, Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun. Goodbye everyone." He promptly picked up the black scarf, his boots and his school jacket, then rushed out the room. He signed out on the attendance sheet then pushed open the front doors and ran out after the CEO.

"Kaiba! Wait!" Yami called after the CEO, running up to him. "Please don't leave me."

Kaiba inserted his key into his car's driver-side door and opened it. "I'm going home, Yami."

Yami squeezed his way in between Kaiba and the open car door. "Don't let what Jounouchi-kun said get to you, Kaiba. He doesn't understand."

"I don't give a damn what that loser says," Kaiba said venomously, pushing his way past Yami to seat himself in the driver's seat. "I don't give a damn about anything anyone says."

Leaning his arm against the fabric of the driver's seat, Yami stared into the cobalt depths of his longtime rival. "Kaiba… you obviously care what he said. Otherwise, you wouldn't have stormed out like that."

"I did not 'storm out' of there, Yami. I felt like leaving, so I left." He inserted the key into the ignition and started up the engine. "Now would you kindly get off my car so I can go home?" It was more of a command than a question.

Yami didn't move. "Kaiba…"

Suddenly something sparked in Kaiba's eyes. "Get in the car, Yami."

This caught Yami off guard. "What? What about your want to go home?"

Kaiba's voice was stern. "Never mind what I said. Just get in the car."

Yami shrugged and walked around to the other side of the car, opening the passenger-side door and slid in, closing the door nonchalantly. "Where are we going?" He asked as he put on his seatbelt, glancing at the CEO incredulously.

Kaiba shut the driver-side door and buckled his seatbelt. "Don't ask questions, Yami," said the CEO harshly, as he put the car in reverse and back out of the parking space.

Yami sighed, leaning his arm against the door, and shook his head. Kaiba was in one of his moods and the CEO wouldn't be calm again until he got what he wanted. Wait…what did he want? "Kaiba, what do you wa-?"

The CEO put the car in drive and pressed on the gas. "What did I say about asking questions?"

"Don't ask them." Yami closed his eyes. He'd have to wait and see.

They drove for what seemed like hours. It was getting close to 6PM, but Kaiba refused to stop the car or turn back. By now they were well beyond the city limits. Nothing Yami knew of resided in the direction that they were going, and it was hot. So why were they going this way? It didn't make any sense. Yami could tell that the CEO was still upset. It was written all over his face.

"Kaiba… are you okay?" Yami asked softly, genuinely concerned.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I'm fine. Never better," Kaiba replied, his voice agitated.

Yami shook his head, glancing out the open passenger-side window. There weren't any building on the side of the road nor were there any on the surrounding hills. Just trees. Rows and rows of trees. "I don't understand, Kaiba. Why are you driving to the middle of nowhere? What is this all about?" Deciding that there was nothing interesting to see outside, he turned his attention back to the CEO.

"I like driving, alright? It's a stress reliever." The brunette said quickly, trying his best to block out the unwelcome emotions that threatened to eat away at him.

Yami sighed, looking down at his fingernails. "You're not being completely honest with me."

"You're right, I'm not," the CEO answered immediately. He grumbled, wishing that he hadn't admitted it.

That caught Yami of guard. He raised his eyes and looked over the brunette. "So why don't you tell me the truth?"

"You want the truth?" the CEO asked reluctantly, glancing at Yami out of the corner of his eye.

Yami nodded, leaning his head back against the seat. "Yes. I want the truth. I want to know why you're acting like this. I want to know why you're upset."

"Fine." Something ugly shown on the CEO's features. "I'll tell you the truth." Kaiba sighed heavily, slowing the car a bit to allow other drivers to merge into the lane. "I don't like your friends."

Yami bit his lip. This wasn't anything new. "I know that."

Kaiba reverted his eyes back to the road, switching on the air conditioning with his right hand as he held onto the steering wheel with his left hand. "What right do they have to say that I can't be near you? That I can't be with you."

"Kaiba, I… They don't. But they're my friends and I care what they think and…"

Kaiba didn't seem to have heard him, his hands clenching and unclenching the steering wheel. "No one can tell me that I can't have you. They don't have the right." He seemed to be talking only to himself. Reassuring himself.

Yami's breath hitched in this throat. This didn't seem to be about dancing anymore. Was it ever about dancing? "Kaiba… what are you saying?"

Kaiba voice rose. "No one can take my possessions from me! They don't have a right." He sounded beyond serious.

Yami face was rapidly turning red. "Po-possession, Kaiba? I belong to you?"

"Yes." The CEO's answer was far too short for the magnitude of the question.

Yami's heartbeat was speeding up. "So what does that mean, Kaiba? What does that mean in terms of our relationship?"

The CEO switched on the blinkers, changing lanes. "It means that I want you for myself."

Yami's heart was racing. "You… you want me… for yourself?"

"Yes."

"I… don't know what to say… this is all so sudden and…"

Kaiba slowed down the car, switching on the blinkers again to change lanes. Except this time he pulled over to the side of the road and slowed the car to a stop.

Yami didn't hear the rustle of the road-side pebbles under the car as the tires had moved over them. He couldn't hear the wind as it moaned in the distance. He couldn't even hear the sound of the air conditioning, even though it was on medium speed. He could only hear the steady pounding of his heart in his chest. It overpowered everything else.

"Kaiba," he began in a soft, wary voice. "I'm scared."

The brunette turned off the car, leaving the key in the ignition. He let out a sigh. "Why?"

Yami's voice was shaky. "I don't know what you're capable of. I don't know what you're after."

"I'm not after anything, Yami."

Yami's heart wouldn't slow down. "Is this why you spent so much time with me? Is this why you put up with my mistakes? Was it all because this was your motive all along?"

Kaiba didn't even pretend he didn't know what "this" meant. He knew full well, but Yami was wrong. "There was never any motive."

Yami's closed his eyes, convinced that what he thought was going to happen would happen, whether he wanted it to or not. "You know what? I don't care. Just do it. Get it over with."

"Get what over with?"

"Having your way with me," the shorter man said in a hush-whisper.

Kaiba laughed. "You mean tell me that you honestly thought that I was going to rape you?"

Yami opened his eyes and turned to glare at the CEO, his fear turning to anger. "You can't do that! You can't just play with my emotions like that!" He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the passenger-side door and got out, walking to the front of the car.

The CEO undid his seatbelt and got out as well, following Yami. "Yami… You can't really believe that."

The other man crossed his arms but didn't say anything.

Kaiba leaned against the car. "Yami… I would never do something like that without your consent. But what I said about wanting you… I really meant that."

Yami shook his head, his anger dissipating a bit. "I just don't understand you, Kaiba. You always send me different vibes. Sometimes I get a cold feeling and I feel like you hate me. Sometimes I get a comforting feeling and I feel that you want me around… that there's a possibility that we could be friends or--" Suddenly the CEO's lips were on his own, kissing him like it was their last day on Earth. But the kiss hadn't meant to last, and it didn't for the CEO ended it.

The kiss had been short and forced, but even then Yami was at a loss for words. "Well… damn."

For such an awkward situation, Kaiba was unexpectedly serious. "Forget that ever happened."

"No… I mean… wait."

"What?"

"I lied."

"You what?"

"I… I lied. I lied when I said that I didn't care. I lied about what I was afraid of. I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of myself. I knew that I was taking a risk getting close to you… like this. I knew that being like this with you would lead to tension between us. I knew that it would lead to awkward, foreign, strange and even scary thoughts. I knew that the intimacy would lead to this. I mean, you're only a man."

"Yami, I'm not some sex crazed monster."

"I… I know that. Regardless, I feel that I led you on. I feel that I encouraged those thoughts. That I made you want me. Damn it."

"I don't blame you, Yami. The truth is," he paused, trying to find the right words, "I've always had these thoughts. Perhaps they were buried under many layers, but they were there. Yes, being close to you like we have been for these past few months has caused those feelings to grow and emerge, but it's not your fault. It's my own problem to deal with."

"It's not a problem, Kaiba. Having emotions… like those… is natural."

"If you were anyone else, excluding Mokuba, of course, I wouldn't say this."

"What is it, Kaiba?"

It wasn't in the CEO's nature to be so honest and open. "I'm a little afraid of myself too. The last thing I want to do is hurt you -- someone who means a lot to me."

A small smile formed on the shorter man's lips. "Kaiba… I believe that that is the sweetest thing that you have ever said to me."

"Sweet? Of all the things Kaiba Seto is, sweet is not one of them."

"Whatever you say, Kaiba." Yami sounded annoyed but he was smiling. "The sun is setting."

"Yes, it's getting late. I'll take you home."

"No, it's alright. I don't really feel like going home just yet."

"So what do you want to do then?"

"I want to dance… with you."

"I think that studio's still open."

"No, right here is fine."

"On the side of the road? What kind of people do that?"

"People who don't care what others might think."

"I certainly don't care."

Yami smiled softly. "Good." He extended his hand and grasped Kaiba's fingers, pulling them toward him to take a hold of the CEO's hand. His other hand glided to rest on Kaiba's arm. Kaiba's free hand moved to rest against Yami's waist, wrapping his fingers around it to pull the shorter man into the classic stance. Yami raised his head and gazed into the man's eyes. "Feels nice, doesn't it?"

Kaiba nodded, a small smile forming on his lips as they slowly turned, dancing slowly as to not lose the embrace. "Yea." He leaned down and kissed Yami, their lips brushing gently against each other's. "The studio opens early tomorrow. Would you like me to pick you up, say around 8AM?"

Yami nodded then leaned his head against Kaiba's chest as he smiled, closing his eyes. "I'd like that a lot."

Then as if by magic, the last bit of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, the clouds clearing to allow the moon's glow to shower the earth in soft light.


End file.
